Scott Gordon
Scott Gordon (born Scott M. Gordon on February 6, 1963) is an American professional ice hockey coach and former professional goaltender who is currently the head coach of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League (AHL). He has also previously served as the head coach of the AHL's Providence Bruins and the NHL's New York Islanders. Playing Career Boston College Scott began his collegiate career with the Boston College Eagles in the 1982–83 season, where in nine games, he posted a 3–3–0 record with a 2.43 goals against average (GAA). He became the Eagles' starting goaltender in 1983–84, where in 35 games, he had a 21–13–0 record and a 3.74 GAA, helping Boston College qualify for the 1984 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. The Eagles faced off against the Michigan State Spartans where they lost the two-game total goal series 13–8. Scott retained his starter's job for the 1984–85 season as he went 23–11–2 with a 3.61 GAA in 36 games played. O On March 16, 1985, in a game against the Providence College Friars, Scott and Friars goaltender Chris Terreri made hockey history as both goalies placed water bottles on the top of their nets, making it the first time that goalies placed water bottles on the top of their nets in a hockey game. Scott led Boston College into the 1985 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, as the Eagles reached the semi-finals before losing to Providence 4–3 in triple overtime. He returned for one last season with Boston in 1985–86 where in 32 games, he posted a 17–8–1 record and a 3.63 GAA. Boston College qualified for the 1986 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, however, they lost to the Minnesota Golden Gophers 11–7 in the East Regional Semi-finals. Quebec Nordiques Scott was not drafted, but on October 2, 1986, he signed as a free agent with the Quebec Nordiques of the NHL. The Nordiques assigned him to the Fredericton Express of the AHL for the 1986–87 season. In 31 games, he had a 10–12–2 record with a 4.47 GAA and .875 save percentage as the Express failed to qualify for the playoffs. In the 1987–88 season, the Nordiques assigned Scott to the AHL's Baltimore Skipjacks and in 34 games, he posted a 7–18–3 record with a 5.61 GAA and .861 save percentage. His seven wins led the Skipjacks as Baltimore finished in last place in the league, missing the playoffs. Gordon spent most of the 1988–89 season with the Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL. In 31 games, Scott had a record of 18–9–3 with a 3.82 GAA and a .888 save percentage, as Johnstown finished in second place in the League. In the post-season, he went 7–4 with a 3.34 GAA in 11 games as the Chiefs lost to the Carolina Thunderbirds in the Riley Cup Finals. Scott also saw some action with the Halifax Citadels of the AHL during the 1988–89 season, going 0–2–0 with a 5.17 GAA and a .825 save percentage in two games. He played most of the 1989–90 with the Nordiques' AHL affiliate, the Halifax Citadels, where in 48 games, he had a 28–16–3 record with a 3.33 GAA and a .887 save percentage, leading Halifax into the playoffs. In six playoff games, Scott also posted a 2–4 record with a 4.94 GAA as the Citadels lost to the Sherbrooke Canadiens in the North Division Semi-finals. Scott also made his NHL debut in the 1989–90 season with the Nordiques. He played his first game on January 30, 1990 as he took the loss in a 5–2 defeat against the Buffalo Sabres. After losing his first four games in the NHL, he recorded his first victory, as on February 6, 1990, he made 26 saves in a 5–3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Overall, he was 2–8–0 with a 5.33 GAA and .856 save percentage in ten games for the Nordiques. Scott also became the first ever former ECHL player to appear in the NHL. Gordon began the 1990–91 season with the Nordiques, where in 13 games, he had a record of 0–8–0 with a 5.94 GAA and .787 save percentage. He also spent the majority of the 1990–91 AHL season with the Citadels, as Gordon posted a 12–10–2 record with a 3.70 GAA and .879 save percentage for Halifax. The club, however, failed to reach the post-season. Scott split the 1991–92 season between the Citadels (where in seven games), he had a 3–3–1 record with a 3.82 GAA and .886 save percentage — and the New Haven Nighthawks where he was 3–1–0 with a 2.76 GAA and .898 save percentage in four games. In two playoff games with the Nighthawks, Scott was 0–2 with a 4.54 GAA as the Nighthawks lost to the Adirondack Red Wings in the North Division Semi-finals. Following the season, Scott became a free agent and signed with the Nashville Knights of the ECHL. Nashville Knights Scott spent the 1992–93 season with the Nashville Knights of the ECHL. In 23 games, he had a 13–9–1 record with a 4.30 GAA and .889 save percentage, helping Nashville qualify for the playoffs. In nine playoff games, he had a 5–4 record with a 4.38 GAA as the Nashville Knights lost to the Toledo Storm in the semi-finals. Knoxville Cherokees Scott began the 1993–94 season with the Knoxville Cherokees of the ECHL, as in 26 games, he posted a 15–10–1 record and a .874 save percentage. He left the team late in the season to join the Atlanta Knights of the IHL. Atlanta Knights Scott joined the Knights late in 1993–94, where in five games, he had a record of 0–1–3 with a 3.35 GAA and .888 save percentage. He did not see any action in the post-season, as the Knights won the Turner Cup, defeating the Fort Wayne Komets in the finals. At the end of the season, Scott announced his retirement and he joined the Knights' coaching staff. Coaching Career Atlanta Knights Scott became an assistant coach with the Atlanta Knights of the IHL for the 1994–95 season under Knights head coach John Paris Jr.. Atlanta finished the season with a 39–37–5 record, earning 83 points for third place in the Central Division, and a trip to the playoffs. In the first round of the post-season, the Knights lost to the Las Vegas Thunder in five games. In the 1995–96 season, Scott remained with the Knights, however, midway through the season, the club fired Paris, but retained him. Atlanta finished the season with a 32–41–9 record, earning 73 points, and fourth place in the Central Division. The Knights qualified for the playoffs, but they were swept by the Cincinnati Cyclones in the first round. After the season, the Knights moved from Atlanta to Quebec City and they became the Quebec Rafales. Quebec Rafales Gordon remained an assistant coach with the team through the franchise relocation, as the club hired Jean Pronovost as their head coach for the 1996–97 season. The Rafales had a solid season, going 41–30–11, earning 93 points and fourth place in the North Division. Quebec swept the Cincinnati Cyclones in the first round of the playoffs, however, they lost to the Detroit Vipers in the Turner Cup Quarter-finals. The Rafales struggled in the 1997–98 season, failing to reach the playoffs with a 27–48–7 record, earning 61 points. After the season, the club folded. Roanoke Express Gordon joined the Roanoke Express of the ECHL as the head coach of the team for the 1998–99 season. During his first season with the team, he led them to a 38–22–10 record, earning 86 points and first place in the Northeast Division. In the post-season, Roanoke defeated the Dayton Bombers and Chesapeake Icebreakers to reach the North Conference finals, however, they were swept by the Richmond Renegades. Scott led the Express to another first-place finish in the North Division in the 1999–2000 season, going 44–20–6, registering 94 points. In the post-season, the Express were upset by the Johnstown Chiefs in the first round. After the season, Roanoke did not renew his contract. Providence Bruins Gordon joined the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League as an assistant coach to Bill Armstrong for the 2000–01 season. In his first season with the Bruins, the team had a 35–31–10–4 record, earning 84 points and a trip to the playoffs, as the club finished in third place in the New England Division. Providence defeated the Hartford Wolf Pack and Worcester IceCats to win the division in the playoffs, however, the Bruins lost to the Saint John Flames in the Eastern Conference finals. In 2001–02, the Bruins struggled to a 35–33–8–4 record, third in the East Division, and tenth in the Eastern Conference. Providence faced the St. John's Maple Leafs in a best-of-three qualifying series, in which they were swept in two games to be eliminated from the playoffs. The Bruins made a head coaching change prior to the 2002–03 as Mike Sullivan was hired to take over for Bill Armstrong. Providence kept Scott as an assistant coach. After the Bruins started the season 41–17–9–4 under Sullivan, he was promoted to the Boston Bruins late in the season as the team made a coaching change and he became the head coach of Providence. Scott led Providence to a 3–3–2–1 record in their last nine games, as the club finished in first place in the North Division. In the post-season, the Bruins were upset by the Manitoba Moose in the first round. Scott led Providence to a 36–29–11–4 record in his first full season as the head coach in 2003–04, helping them reach the qualifying round of the playoffs. In the best-of-three qualification round, the Bruins were swept by the Portland Pirates in two games. Providence had a solid season in 2004–05, going 40–30–7–3 to finish with 90 points, and a fourth-place finish in the Atlantic Division. The Bruins then upset the first place Manchester Monarchs in the first round of the playoffs, then defeated the Lowell Lock Monsters in the Atlantic Division finals to earn a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bruins lost to the Philadelphia Phantoms in six games. Scott led the Bruins to another post-season appearance in the 2005–06 season, as Providence had a 43–31–1–5 record, earning 92 points and fourth place in the Atlantic Division. In the playoffs, the Portland Pirates defeated Providence in the first round. The Bruins had another very solid season in 2006–07, as Providence had a 44–30–2–4 record, earning 94 points and third place in the Atlantic Division. The Bruins defeated the Hartford Wolf Pack in the Division semi-finals, however they lost to the Manchester Monarchs in the Atlantic Division finals. Providence had a spectacular season in 2007–08 as the Bruins won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy, awarded to the team who finished with the most points in the regular season. The Bruins had a 55–18–3–4 record, earning 117 points. Providence quickly swept the Manchester Monarchs in the first round of the playoffs, but the Bruins were upset by the Portland Pirates in the Atlantic Division Finals. After the season, Scott won the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as Coach of the Year in the AHL. On August 12, 2008, he left the Bruins to become the head coach of the New York Islanders in the NHL. New York Islanders On October 10, 2008, Scott made his NHL head coaching debut as the Islanders lost to the New Jersey Devils, 2–1. He earned his first NHL victory the next night on October 11, 2008 as the Islanders defeated the St. Louis Blues 5–2 in his first home game. The Islanders struggled throughout the season, finishing 26–47–9, earning 61 points and last place in the Atlantic Division, missing the playoffs. In 2009–10, the Islanders improved to a 34–37–11 record, getting 79 points, but they missed the playoffs once again. The Islanders once again struggled at the start of the 2010–11 as the club had a record of 4–10–3 in their first 17 games to quickly fall out of the playoff picture. On November 15, 2010, the Islanders fired Scott, replacing him with Jack Capuano. He was given a job as a special advisor to General Manager Garth Snow following his dismissal as head coach. Toronto Maple Leafs On June 20, 2011, the Toronto Maple Leafs hired Scott as an assistant coach under Head Coach Ron Wilson. Late in the 2011–12 season, the Maple Leafs fired Wilson as head coach and hired Randy Carlyle as his replacement and kept Scott on as an assistant. However, Scott was later fired after the 2013–14 season. Lehigh Valley Phantoms On July 13, 2015, Scott was named the head coach of the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms. International Play Scott represented the United States during his international career. He appeared in the 1991 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships held in Finland, where in two games, he was 0–1–0 with a 7.50 GAA, as the USA finished in fourth place. He spent most of the 1991–92 season playing for the United States where in 29 games, he went 13–12–3 with a 4.03 GAA. Scott also appeared in one game at the 1992 Winter Olympics held in Albertville, France where he had a 0–0–0 record with a 7.06 GAA in 17 minutes of play as the Americans finished in fourth place. On April 8, 2009, Scott was named an assistant coach to Ron Wilson for the United States at the 2009 IIHF World Championship held in Switzerland by USA Hockey General Manager Brian Burke. The U.S. finished in fourth place in the tournament. He joined Wilson and Burke once again as an assistant coach for the USA at the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, British Columbia, helping the United States to the silver medal. Scott was the head coach of the United States at the 2011 IIHF World Championship held in Slovakia. The USA struggled and finished in eighth place in the tournament. Coaching Record NHL coaching record Minor leagues Accolades *All-Hockey East First Team (1985–86) *All-ECHL Team (1988-89) Category:American ice hockey players Category:American ice hockey coaches Category:Johnstown Chiefs players Category:Providence Bruins coaches Category:Quebec Nordiques players Category:Olympic ice hockey players of the United States Category:1992 Olympian Category:New York Islanders coaches Category:Fredericton Express player Category:Baltimore Skipjacks players Category:Halifax Citadels players Category:New Haven Nighthawks player Category:Nashville Knights players Category:Atlanta Knights player Category:Knoxville Cherokees player Category:NHL coaches Category:1963 births